A cotton suit like this is a very unusual discovery. Casual wear often didn’t stay in good shape over the years and separates, especially, didn’t stand the wear and tear of frequent use. It’s not rare to run into seersucker, which is a really fun and durable fabric. But, to find a true vintage piece is quite uncommon.

Like in the Fifties, it seems that little casual suits were also popular in the Sixties and were worn like day-dresses used to be. Pants were STILL not hugely popular, with women generally sticking to dresses and skirts more often than we do now.

This outfit has cute little details like waist tabs and notches in the hems – nice tailoring details that are a hold-over from the 1940’s and 1950’s, though I think this suit was sold through one of the catalog houses that were popular then, like Montgomery Ward, Penneys or Sears & Roebuck, and wouldn’t have been considered a high quality item.

Celia and Marlene are modeling the ever-chic-and-elegant scarf tie style popularized by and named for Grace Kelly in the early 1950’s. It frames your face and covers your hair beautifully, doesn’t flap or blow and lets you show off that gorgeous true vintage print scarf you just found!

Celia wears a vintage floral print in silk which highlights rose and blue tones. Marlene opts for a multi-color basket-weave print with a coffee brown border, also in silk.

This is one of the most elegant disguises I wear . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You know I have SO much lovely true vintage lingerie and a ton of 1950’s slips, but I still go giddy when I find another one. They’re just so beautiful with their lace, applique, ribbons, sumptuous fabric and elegant tailoring.

This one is by Warner’s in a lemon ice color. Just the right length for a bottom-of-the-knee dress or skirt, or a midi.

I’m so glad that we are not locked into a certain hem length for months (or years) like women were in the past. No more dread of appearing unfashionable or out-of-step.

These scarves are of a vintage style I see rarely – sewn in a continuous circle and open in the back. You can scrunch and spread them but they have no elastic built in. Grace Kelly and other mid-century film stars loved this style.

The idea is to make a chic “hat”, pinned and adjusted to your type of hairstyle, or a quick and elegant solution to bad hair days. They’re usually sheer rayon, nylon or silk.

Must have been, more or less, a brief “fad”. It would be easy to make or fake now, but the real thing is always more intriguing . . . . . . . . .

This is one of my favorite true vintage styles in warm weather shoes. The fabric uppers and openness are so breezy, cool and feminine. They are such a cross between dressy and casual that they are very versatile and will look just right almost any time.